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New mental health learning resource launched

15 July 2015

A new free learning resource to help individuals and organisations improve their own mental health and that of the people they serve has been launched.

Mental Health 4 Life (MH4L) aims to motivate, inform and enable people to contribute to the public mental health agenda. The resources emphasise the important of mental wellbeing and are organised into various stages of life as well as specialist areas of practice.

The project is being led by Professor Kamaldeep Bhui (pictured), professor of psychiatry and cultural psychiatry and epidemiology at Queen Mary University of London, consultant psychiatrist at East London Foundation Trust, and co-founder of Careif, in partnership with Careif, East London NHS Foundation Trust and the Centre for Mental Health. It is funded by Health Education North Central and East London.

“This remarkable resource will help us transform the mental health of the population and all citizens, irrespective of their profession, social status, or the contexts in which they live and work,” said Professor Bhui. “This set of learning materials is for everyone to improve their own mental health and that of their friends, family, neighbours and the wider public. The accessible summaries and infographics provide an immediate sense of the importance of mental wellbeing for healthy, successful and long lives, as well as the contribution it makes to our economy, children and elderly people. MH4L is organised into various stages of life, and also into specialist areas of practice, for example, schools or local government. The resources are free, to be used and shared. We plan to set up a more interactive website with self-assessments, which people can undertake to test their knowledge and expertise about public mental health.”

MH4L is supported by Dr Geraldine Strathdee, the national clinical director for mental health at NHS England. “In the last two years we have seen a growing interest in mental health and wellbeing from many frontline community agencies,” she said. “There are practical examples of how individuals and communities can develop wellbeing and resilience, work together to tackle the causes of ill health and introduce prevention strategies. I believe the resource will be of great interest to communities, the public health sector, health and wellbeing boards, and clinical commissioning groups.”